


Just a Perfect Day

by subterranean_homesick_alien



Category: Homestuck
Genre: "Platonic" Cuddling, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Boys In Love, Cronus Being Cronus, Dave's having a rough time, Gay, Hurt/Comfort, I stg these wont all be angsty, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, RuPaul's Drag Race References, Self-Harm, Self-Indulgent, Underage Drinking, Will add more tags as it goes, its christmas - Freeform, they haven't admitted it, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 10:18:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11251113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subterranean_homesick_alien/pseuds/subterranean_homesick_alien
Summary: Dave and Karkat and their misadventures in boarding school.**DISCONTINUED AS OF NOW, SEE MOST RECENT CHAPTER**





	1. Rain

“Dave. I’d like to get down now, please.”

“But, why? I’m having a great time.”

“Dave, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed or not. But, It’s two in the morning. We’re on top of the science building, violating, oh, I don’t know… seven different school policies? And would you look at that- IT’S FUCKING RAINING DIPSHIT.”

“Honestly, you’re so dramatic. It’s a light drizzle.” Dave grinned up at Karkat as rain water rolled down his cheeks and soaked his pale blonde hair. He was laying back, propped up on his elbows. They were in fact on the roof of the science building, and, yeah, it was totally two in the morning. But it’s not like the cameras in this school actually worked. They were completely safe… completely.

” Listen fucker. I know your mom can save your ass from getting expelled because she’s head of the science department- but some of us don’t have that advantage!!! My parents are paying too much fucking money for me to go and get expelled. You said we would only be out here for a minute. It’s been an hour.” Karkat was frowning intensely as he spoke, his thick, dark hair was wet and stuck to his forehead and his bushy eyebrows were furrowed.

The blonde sighed, sitting up and slicking his hair out of his face. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s bounce.” He got up to his feet, holding his hand out to the other boy.

“Thank God.” Karkat took the hand with a sigh of relief and they started their climb back to the ground.

Dave went down first, that way he’d be able to catch Karkat if he fell. He was more experienced than Karkat in the whole sneaking around department. He’d lived on this campus with his mom and half-sister for about three and a half years since his mother had taken custody over him partway through his eighth-grade year, and his "Bro" had gone to jail. Evidentially it was THEN that she came to notice the abuse he was receiving from his Bro. He was trying not to be bitter that she’d left him there for so long.

 She lived in a nice house on campus, but Dave started living in a dorm as soon as he started high school. He’s had the same roommate since freshman year. John motherfucking Egbert. John was one of his best friends, even if he was a total nerd. And aside from John, Karkat was the person Dave felt the most comfortable and happy around. That sounded gay. It was kind of gay, but it was true, so he didn't care. 

Speaking of Karkat, they were both safely at the bottom now. “I can’t believe I even let you talk me into this in the first place.”

Dave wasn’t listening, his attention drawn to the sound of an approaching vehicle. “Shit!” He pushed Karkat down into the bushes and dived in beside him, putting his hand over his mouth before he could ask what they were doing.

The security vehicle drove through the circle of academic buildings and creeped towards the science building slowly… and slower… and then came to a stop. There was suddenly a bright light being shined at them through the bushes. Dave held his breath, and watched as Karkat screwed his eyes shut, as though the security guard wouldn’t see him if he couldn’t see the security guard. Dave counted out how many seconds passed before the security guard turned off the light and started the vehicle back up. Thirty-five. And slowly… he drove away.

Dave let out his breath and uncovered Karkat’s mouth, rising to his feet again. “Fuck, that was close.”

“Was it? WAS IT CLOSE THIS TIME DAVE? You say that like it doesn’t happen EVERY FUCKING TIME WE DO THIS!!” Karkat stormed out of the bushes and started walking towards their dorm.

“You’re right!! But- it was fun, wasn’t it?”

“NO!”

“Dammit… okay, fine. I should have listened to you.”

“You’re damn right you should have.”

“You’re way smarter than me, and I’m really lucky to have you as a friend. What else do you want me to say?”

“Just keep fucking flattering me, bitch. I’m angry and I need it.”

“You’re the smartest person I know.”

“Mhmmm.”

“You’re… You’re perfect.”

“Uh. I mean, that’s true. Yeah.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“And your repressed homosexual feelings for me are showing, Dave.”

“You look like Linda Evangelista.”

“…”

“You’re a model. Everything about you is PERFECT. Did you stone those tights? Oh, you’re SMILING! They eat him up every SINGLE time he’s on that damned stage. He could walk out there in a fucking diaper and they’ll be like “Karkat, your smile is BEAUTIFUL!”

“God, I hope you fucking choke.”

 

* * *

 

 

Once they were back to the dorm it was a simple matter of coming in through the laundry room and sneaking upstairs to their respective rooms.

Dave walked to his and John’s room, but the handle wasn’t budging. Fuck. Sometimes John locked the door while he was changing, and would forget to unlock it unless Dave needed to come into the room before he fell asleep. But, John was a heavy sleeper, and Dave knew there was no way he was getting into that room tonight.

He trudged his way down the hall to Karkat’s room and Just prayed that his roommate wasn’t around. He knocked quietly on the door and Karkat answered shortly after, his hair was tousled from being towel dried, said towel was wrapped around his bare shoulders, and he’d now changed into a cozy looking pair of sleeping pants. “What?”

“John fell asleep with the door locked.” He whispered, not wanting to wake Gamzee, if he WAS there.

“Come in. Gamzee is in Tavros’s room… I think.”

Dave stepped in and stripped off his wet shirt and pants, drying himself off with a towel Karkat handed to him. “Thanks… Could I…”

“Yeah, top drawer. I won’t look while you change.” Karkat sat down on his bottom bunk, rubbing his eyes and sniffing a bit, still cold from the rain.

Dave pulled a pair of boxers from Karkat’s top drawer and dropped his own wet ones into the pile with his other sopping clothes, changing silently.

Karkat couldn’t help but let his eyes wander while Dave was changing. It’s not like they’ve never seen each other naked… but usually it wasn’t something intentional like this. God, Dave was pale… but no matter how pale he was, the many long, white scars that crossed his torso stood out clearly. Karkat knew what they were from... or rather, who they were from. Dave had never been comfortable enough to go deep into detail about his childhood, but Karkat knew about Dave's brother Dirk and the abuse they'd both undergone. Dave was insecure about all of the scars- how could he not be? Karkat wished he could run his fingertips across each one. And wished he could kick his father's ass.

He was brought back to reality by Dave climbing into his bed. Dave got under the comforter with a happy sigh. He liked Karkat’s bed better than his own. Probably because Karkat actually washed his sheets regularly like some kind of weirdo, so they always smelled nice. And his blankets were soft.

Karkat wriggled his way in beside Dave. These bunk beds were truly too small to fit two people in, but that hardly ever stopped Dave from worming his way into Karkat’s bed, or vice versa. Dave’s cheek was pressed against his shoulder, and Karkat’s face went a little pink as one of Dave’s long legs hooked around him. He didn’t mind. This was purely platonic, of course. He rolled onto his side facing away from Dave, and felt the other boys strong arm wrap around his waist.

Dave pulled Karkat in close, his chest pressed against his back. It was hard to believe there was ever a time that he hadn’t been this close with Karkat, and there was a time they’d even hated each other, and all over a girl. He breathed out a small laugh through his nose at the thought.

Karkat shuddered at the feeling of Dave’s breath against the back of his neck. He felt acutely aware of every part of his body Dave was touching. Dave was warm, and it made him feel even colder. Dave’s palm was pressed against his stomach, and every now and then his fingers would move and readjust and butterflies would fly through Karkat’s stomach. He wanted Dave to make him feel warm all over. Not even in a sensual way… well, maybe in a sensual way. But also because he just loved the security it made him feel to have Dave hold him like this. Security, anxiety, love and a whole storm of other emotions. How was it possible to feel everything at once like this? He never wanted it to stop.

“Dave…?” Karkat whispered, his voice sounding… weird.

“…” No reply. Of course, Dave was asleep. It was for the best… Karkat didn’t know what he’d been planning on saying. Maybe he just wanted to hear Dave speak again. Whatever it was he was after, he didn’t trust himself not to say something stupid. He closed his eyes, and began to drift.


	2. Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave's been acting weird, and his birthday is steadily approaching. Karkat needs to talk to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think with this chapter I'm going to start naming the chapters after songs that I think are relevant. This one is by Radiohead off of their album "The Bends." Great song. Give it a listen if you get the chance.

It was two days after the stunt they’d pulled at the science building. They were safe, of course, but Dave was acting weird.

 

Karkat was worried about him. He was being quiet. In class, he was silent. In the dorm, he didn’t come to Karkat’s room, and hardly spoke whenever Karkat came in to see him. Karkat wasn’t even getting those paragraph longs rants about phalluses he always received at the late hours of the night. He’d asked Dave what was wrong- but he was being so secretive. He hadn’t been kept in the dark like this for a long time, and seeing Dave regress into old habits of bottling shit up was not good.

Regardless, it was officially december first. That means he only had a few short days until Dave’s birthday. Luckily, he’d bought Dave’s present(s) last month. It wasn’t anything that was terribly special, a couple of records Dave had mentioned liking, along with one or two that Karkat thought he would enjoy. They definitely had different music tastes, but there were some things that they had in common. And Dave was always willing to give something a listen if Karkat recommended it to him. He hoped Dave would like his gift.

 

It was about three. Karkat had been on his phone all night, looking at junk and definitely not waiting on Dave to say something. But, he could only pretend not to notice that his best friend was ignoring him for so long before he needed to take a leak.

He rose from his bed, creeping out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. Being in the dorm at night was a very surreal experience. Everyone was asleep around him, except for maybe the prefects- seniors that were stressing over college essays on top of the rest of their workload. One more year until that was him.

Pretty much all of his family had graduated at Skaia College Prep. His father, his mother, his aunt, and his older brother. He was expected to graduate here too. It was a fine school, but it had changed significantly since his parents had been there, that's for sure. They lived back in Arizona, which was a long ways away. He didn't see them much… but, he was okay with that. When you're away at school you start to build a family away from your family. A home away from home, as sappy as that was.

 

Karkat emptied his bladder and washed his hands. He began to trudge back to his room, but paused when he saw the balcony door cracked open. They always locked it after lights out, to ensure no one would sneak out, but the laundry room was just as easy to get out of. It was a very flawed system. There was only one person he knew that would be out there this late. Only one person he knew who could pick locks.

 

He walked to the door slowly, tiptoeing. He peeked out into the night and sure enough, standing there, illuminated by the street light and the moon, was Dave.

 

He stayed back, watching Dave for just a moment and wondering if he should bother interrupting him. He'd hate to intrude… but he couldn't let Dave sit out here, sad and alone.

 

He spoke softly. “Dave..?”

 

Dave turned his head slowly, glancing at Karkat then looking back out at the view. “Hey. What are you doing up?”

 

“Could ask you the same thing.” He closed the door and walked over to Dave, standing next to him and leaning against the railing. Dave didn't reply to him. Karkat tried to read the expression on his face, he was worryingly stoic.

 

He stood there with Dave in silence for a moment, his stomach twisting and turning, until he couldn't take it anymore. “Dave… are you okay?”

 

Dave’s brows furrowed. He thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging. “I don't really know. But… it's not important.”

 

“Don't give me that shit Dave. It is important.” His tone was harsher than he intended. He grit his teeth and tried to pull it back in. “You've been acting so weird the last few days- I'm worried about you.”

 

“Don't be. I'm a big boy Karkat, I can handle my own shit.” He bit back, sharpness in his voice that Karkat wasn't used to.

 

Dave began to walk away, Karkat grabbed his wrist to stop him, and watched Dave stiffen up like a board and turn his face away.

 

Karkat slowly let go, instead placing a more gentle hand on Dave's shoulder. “Dave- I'm sorry. Fuck i just- I don't want to see you like this. I need you to talk to me. I can't let you block me out.”

 

Dave calmed down, but his gaze was still down at the floor. He sighed heavily. “Alright then. Let's talk.”

 

Karkat nodded, sitting down on the wicker couch. Dave sat next to him, his shoulders tense. Karkat was the first to speak after at least a full minute of silence. “Are you… are you mad at me?”

 

Dave shook his head. Karkat wished he could see his eyes. “It's not you. It's got nothing to do with you.”

 

“Then what is it..? You know you can trust me. Right?”

 

“I know I can. I do. It's… it's just really fucking hard for me to talk about.”

 

*I won't force you to talk about anything. I want you to tell me whenever you feel comfortable. But I cant… i cant just not talk to you like this. Dave I lo... i fucking care about you. You're my best friend.” Karkat corrected himself and felt his stomach twist.

 

“I really don't deserve you. I'm sorry. I just.. hate to be so emotional like this. It's not pleasant to be around. I need to man the hell up.” He let out a weak, sad little laugh, wiping his eyes.

 

“That's the dumbest shit you've ever fucking said to me, by far. Man up? No. You're allowed to feel things, Dave. You're allowed to be upset. And fuck… you're allowed to cry.” He reached out and pulled away Dave's shades, setting them on the table in front of them. Dave's jaw was clenched, his eyes were wet and puffy. Karkat's heart ached for him. “Stop trying to be tough. You don't have to keep your guard up all the damn time. Just let yourself feel this. Don't...” He paused, thinking through this next part. "Don't listen to him."

 

Dave lost his composure, embracing Karkat tightly. He hid his face in the other boys neck. He tried to keep himself quiet. He tried not to cry too hard, but he trembled underneath the gentle movements of Karkat's hand across his back. He shuddered and gasped and trembled, and he hated himself the entire fucking time. They stayed like that for a while, Karkat tenderly whispering little reassurances of “it'll be okay” and “you're safe now. You're going to be safe,” into his best friends ear.

 

Dave was overwhelmed. He hated crying. He hated feeling. He hated being like this- he hated that Karkat was seeing him like this. He was clinging onto Karkat like he was the only thing keeping him grounded on Earth. He was weak- fuck. His Bro would laugh if he saw him now, sniffling and red faced. He was pathetic. He didn't want it to be like this. He wanted to be strong. He wasn't strong. But Karkat. Karkat was keeping him safe. He was showing him something that he'd never knew existed. How could Karkat think it was okay for Dave to feel like this? Was it okay? He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to think about anything. He moved, letting go of Karkat and wiping his eyes. He laid down across the old wicker couch, his head falling into Karkat's lap. He wasn't crying as hard now. He was taking deep breaths, his eyes squeezed tightly shut with his palms pressed so hard against them that he was seeing white spots. He let himself be slowly soothed by the soft massaging of Karkat's fingers through his hair. Eventually, he spoke. “Karkat..?” His voice was hoarse.< /span>

 

“Yeah?” Came the quiet reply.

 

"I miss Dirk..." He practically whispered.

"I'm so sorry Dave."

“I…” He swallowed, trying to gather his words. “I fucking hate him. My dad. I hate him.”

 

“Yeah… i know you do. I hate him too. And you have every fucking right to hate him.”

 

“I hate him. But i think he was right. It should have been me. I was the useless one.”

 

“No. No he fucking wasn't. Listen to me- It shouldn't have been either of you. It wasn't your fault, it was his. I know he made you feel horrible and weak, and like you were the reason it all happened. But Dammit Dave, he's a fucking liar. God, Dave. You're so strong, and wonderful. And I know Dirk loved you.”

 

“I'm not as strong as you think I am Karkat... And you didn't know him. I can't tell you how pathetic I really am. He'd be so ashamed of me...” He shook his head, rolling onto his side. "I'm sorry."

 

"Sorry for what? Don't be sorry for this. Dave, you mean so much to me. And I just know that if Dirk could see you he'd be so proud.”

 

Dave didn't say any more. He closed his eyes, exhausted from crying and his head pounding. Karkat was still petting his hair. It felt so nice. He wanted Karkat to play with his hair more often. Maybe at a time when he wasn't feeling like a piece of shit. He began to drift off, his mind finally calming and going blank.

 

Karkat's fingers still played intently with Dave's soft blonde hair, nails scratching against his scalp now and then. His other hand rested against Dave's waist. He'd never seen the ruby eyed boy seem so fragile.

 

He wouldn't force Dave to go into detail about his abuse. Not if he didn't want to. He knew about Dave's brother, and how almost three and a half years ago Dave had found him hanging in a closet. That alone said enough. Derrick Strider was in prison. Whenever Dirk died, it finally came out that he'd been physically and verbally abusing his two sons, as well as starving them and exposing them to illegal substances. Dave had been living with his mother ever since. Unfortunately, he hadn't learned most of that from Dave himself. Dave had come to Skaia Early College at the beginning of their freshman year, like most people. But those who had attended the middle school knew Rose, and her skinny, stoic brother that no one had ever seen quickly became the topic of hot gossip. Leave it to an Ampora to fuck shit up. Eridan spent entirely too much time around his father, and came to school with everything you needed to know about the poor kid.

 

He reflected on those days, and it all made him angry. He hated himself for treating Dave so horribly when they first met, during the Terezi days. He hadn't picked on Dave for being abused, that had never seemed like something appropriate to make fun of. But he'd definitely gone in hard on... pretty much every other aspect of Dave. He remembered exactly when he'd stopped hating Dave, though. It was after Terezi and Gamzee had started dating, probably around the same time of the year it was now. He couldn't stand to be in his room, so he was posted up in the common room. He'd been watching a movie on his laptop, he couldn't remember what, and on the brink of sleep, when his bladder had gotten the best of him, much like tonight. He'd made his way to the bathroom and entered quietly, since every door in that old dorm squeaked loud enough to wake the entire first floor up. Someone was in the shower- at this time of night?? Jesus. Probably one of his senior prefects pulling an extra late night. He shuffled past the shower over to the urinals and was this close to pulling his junk out whenever he heard the person in the shower fall and hit the ground. He jumped, and nearly pissed himself right then and there. There was a hand gripping the shower curtain, blood running down the mystery person's forearm and hitting the tiles outside the shower. Karkat's heart was pounding. He didn't know what to do. He stayed still and silent, and listened as the other boy spoke to himself. It was barely more than a mumble. He picked out phrases and words such as "i'm sorry", "i didn't mean to", "Dirk..." and, "I can't do this." He recognized the voice, from history and from art class, from lunch periods, and after school arguments about his crush. This was undeniably Dave Strider. He was terrified and concerned, but unable to move. He should go. He should just go to the other bathroom. This wasn't his buisness- he should NOT be here. Without him noticing, the shower turned off, and Dave was up on his feet again. Karkat panicked. He ran out of the bathroom as fast as he could right as the shower curtain opened. He prayed that Dave didn't see him. He didn't want Dave to know that he knew. He sprinted across the hall to the other bathroom and stayed there for at least an hour. 

Karkat spent the rest of the night thinking. So yes, it seemed that what Eridan had said was true. Or at least, that would explain some of what he'd heard. There was no way he could talk to Dave about it, as much as he hated making assumptions. He didn't know what he'd say to Dave. He didn't know if Dave had seen him leave. He just knew that Dave had a lot of shit going on, and seemed to be self harming. As much as he didn't like Dave, that made his gut twist. He knew Dave wasn't a bad guy... He was just biased because of Terezi. He'd made all the wrong assumptions. 

After that night they started to talk more. Without Terezi, they got to know each other a little better. They started pairing up in class, walking back to the dorm together, and even hanging out on the weekends. It was weird, but Karkat was glad he'd given Dave a chance. It turns out he really liked Dave's personality, when he wasn't being totally obnoxious. And now, Dave was the best friend he had. 

Things were different now, definitely. Dave was different. He didn't seem as hollow. His mother had taken him to a proper therapist, and he seemed to be doing better. He had depressive episodes, he had nightmares on occasion, and he had a cargo-hold full of traumatic baggage, but it wasn't freshman year anymore, and Karkat was so thankful. 

He was so tired. Dave was passed out in his lap, and even though it was chilly, he could feel himself giving in to sleep. He turned his head up to look at the stars, and slowly his eyes fell shut.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He was awoken by a tapping on his shoulder. The sun was just coming above the horizon, and it was blindingly orange. Above him towered a figure. Mr. Ampora. His history teacher and dorm parent. He didn't look happy.

 

“Picking locks, Vantas? You and your friend are getting demerits for this, I hope you realize.”  


“Yes sir... “

 

“Good, just wanted to make sure that brain of yours was still operating. Your father certainly wouldn’t have pulled a stunt like this in his time here. Nor your brother. Guess there’s a bad apple in every family.” He sneered down at Karkat, that ugly scar making him look all the more ghastly.

 

“Yes sir.... Sorry sir. It won’t happen again”

 

“Detentions, both of you. My classroom this afternoon. Bring your student handbooks.”

And Mr. “Dualscar” Ampora walked back inside.

 

Karkat let out a long sigh and looked down at Dave, who was still sleeping soundly in his lap. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Fuck Dualscar. “Dave? It’s time for school.”


	3. Coffee & TV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MADE SOME MAJOR EDITS TO CHAPTER TWO SO PLEASE GO BACK AND READ IT IF YOU'RE REVISITING THE FIC!! VERY ESSENTIAL FOR CERTAIN PARTS OF THIS CHAPTER TO MAKE SENSE

The worst part of being in boarding school was going home. Karkat dreaded breaks, mostly because he was so far away from everyone he knew, including Dave. At home, the only people he had to talk to were his cousin Kanaya, his parents, and Kankri. Oh, and how could he forget Kankri's boyfriend... Who he'd apparently brought home for Christmas. 

 

Their parents were accepting people. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that he was none other than Cronus Ampora. That's right, Dualscar's oldest son. He'd gone to Skaia early college at the same time as Kankri, and the only thing that had kept him from dropping out had of course been his father. If Dualscar considered Karkat to be the bad apple of his family, he wondered what he considered Cronus to be. 

 

It wasn't that Cronus was a bad guy. No, he was just a little narcissistic. He was the kind of guy to tell you how sensitive he was, and bring his guitar to the party even though no one wants to fucking listen to him play. But he was nice enough. 

 

He'd been spending a lot of time with Kanaya so far over break, she was pretty much his best (and only) friend at home. He loved hanging out with her, but he knew she missed school just as much as him. She was dating Dave's sister, Rose. And the two siblings were still on campus. 

God, he missed Dave. He missed Dave. He missed Dave. Has he mentioned how much he fucking missed Dave?

 

He hadn't really talked to Dave very much, and he was a bit worried. He wanted to believe everything was okay. I mean, Dave seemed like he was definitely doing better whenever they had parted, but he knew that he was dreading break just as much as Karkat. 

 

He was mostly worried because of Dave’s weird family dynamic. He got uncomfortable whenever he had to spend long periods of time around his mother. Sure, he loved her, but it was hard for him not to be bitter. She was an alcoholic. But, despite that, she was one hell of a scientist and a total badass. She tried too hard to try and win back Dave’s love. She’d buy him anything to make him happy, but Dave just wasn’t a very materialistic person. Well… except when it came to those turn tables… and those bitchin’ new sneakers. But that was besides the point. 

 

He was also spending a lot of time with his two sisters, Rose and Roxy. They were both very kind girls, but like their mother, had a bit of a problem with alcoholism. Dave had never been a fan of the stuff, or drugs in general. Sure, he’d smoked a fair amount of weed behind the gym late at night with Karkat and his other friends, but he’d be happy if he never touched anything harder than that. It relieved Karkat that Dave was such a straight edge, considering that the addictive personality trait ran in his family.

 

It was Christmas eve. Karkat was sitting at the dinner table with most of his extended family, right between Kanaya and Cronus. It was really fucking funny to watch Kankri try to reel Cronus in and get flustered over whatever dumb shit came out of the greasers mouth. Did he really just make a sex joke to your father? Wow. He did. What a guy. You hadn’t been to a family dinner this interesting since your aunt Porrim started telling horrifically detailed stories of all the weirdest piercings she’s ever given in her shop. Your father had gone pale after hearing her talk about her first time giving someone a Prince Albert. You had to admit, you’d started feeling queasy too. 

 

While Cronus laughed at his own joke, Kankri looked absolutely distressed. “Cronus… please.” He said through gritted teeth. 

 

Cronus looked at him, grinning and shrugging as if it was nothing. “I’m just foolin’ around Kanny.”

 

Kankri gave Cronus a look that said, “I am exactly two seconds away from driving home and leaving you here to fucking rot.” 

 

Cro deflated a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. “Er, Sorry Kankri. Sorry Mr. Vantas.”

 

Your father gave an uncomfortable smile. “It’s fine, really.” He poured more wine into his glass, and more, and more, almost to the brim. Your mother looked absolutely horrified.

 

Porrim cleared her throat. “And on that note, Kanaya and I really ought to get going.” She stood up, gathering her dishes and bringing them into the kitchen. 

 

Karkat looked over at Kanaya, who shook her head and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Her eyes darted towards Cronus then back to him. “Good luck.” 

 

Porrim hugged her brother and kissed her sister in-laws cheek as her and Kanaya departed.  

Once they were gone, Cronus and Kankri offered to clean up, insisting Karkat’s mother and father get some rest. All of their family members would be gathering here tomorrow, it was sure to be hectic. Karkat had spent most of his childhood around his dad’s side of the family. His mother in her prime had been a tall, handsome Indian woman with sharp features and a kind heart. She was his favorite grandmother, but she was old now and lived in a retirement home. She could barely walk on her own, but she still had so much life in her. He was excited to see her more than anyone, honestly. His mom’s side of the family was… weird. He loved them too of course, but they were very different from his dad’s family. 

 

They came from Ohio. Not very exciting. They were a pretty average american family. They lived in a suburban home with two cats and a nice front yard. There wasn’t anything remarkable about them... well, except for the fact that their family had a disturbing obsession with taxidermy and hunting. And, both of his cousins were the biggest furries he’d ever met. His youngest cousin, Nepeta, was probably thirteen now. She was sweet, they emailed sometimes. She always sent him art she’d done for him… and he tried not to be disturbed that it was all furry fanart. And she had in fact designed a fursona for him. He was pretty sure she had a weird crush on him, but he was trying his best to ignore that too. 

 

He was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth before bed. He hummed to himself absent mindedly, until he heard his brother and Cronus walk down the hall. He peeked through the crack at them.

 

“Kanny. Baby- I’m sorry. I know I acted stupid!  I’ll do better tomorrow. I promise.”

 

Kankri huffed, pausing outside the bedroom door. “Cronus. You said you wouldn’t embarrass me. You made a sex joke to my father!! What do you call that?!”   
  
“...Embarrassing.”

 

“Exactly. Now I don’t mean to be sharp with you, but you know how they feel about your family. I really need you to make a good impression.” Kankri looked up at Cronus pleadingly.

 

Ampora put his hands on Kankri’s waist. “I’m real sorry. I won’t act like that again. I want to make a good impression too, baby. I just get so nervous it’s like I can’t control what comes outta my dumb mouth.” 

 

Kankri placed his hands on Cronus’s broad chest and melted down easily. “I know Cro… It’s okay.” He kissed Cronus’s cheek, and Cronus broke into a dopey grin. 

 

“Now that’s more like it.” He chuckled. “I’ll be better tomorrow. But for now, baby, I think I wanna be bad…” His hand started to slip under Kankri’s shirt. 

 

Karkat has witnessed just about enough. He burst out of the bathroom, disgusted. “P-D-A! P-D-A! P-D-A! P-D- FUCKING- A.” He went past them. He wanted to scream. He wanted to pour bleach on his eyes and cut off his ears. NEVER had he witnessed something so fucking awful. 

 

“Karkat!!! Don’t be rude!” His brother called after him. 

 

“THEN DON’T HAVE SEX IN MY CHILDHOOD HOME MY ROOM IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR. I SWEAR TO GOD IF I HEAR YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT I’M GOING TO GET DAD AND TELL HIM THERE’S A ROBBER IN YOUR ROOM. YOU WANT DAD TO COME INTO YOUR ROOM WITH HIS GUN WHILE YOUR DICK IS OUT?! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT KANKRI?!?!”

 

He did not wait for a reply. He slammed the door to his room and locked it, grabbing a pillow from his bed and screaming hard into it. 

 

He stayed like that for a while, screaming and trying to fight the urge to throw the fuck up. Once he'd calmed down some, he picked up his phone and called Dave. Fuck anxiety. If Dave doesn't want to talk to him then boo-fucking-hoo he can deal because Karkat needed to get this shit out. 

 

The phone rang once, twice, thrice… okay so. Anxiety was back. Was Dave ignoring his call? Fuck. 

 

He picked up, there were a few seconds of awkward shuffling before he heard, in the literal whitest voice ever, “Yyyyyyyelllow?”

 

He smiled broadly. “Dear god, i never thought I'd be so happy to hear that.” 

 

“Wussup?” Dave asked, he sounded weird. Karkat didn't care. 

 

“My brother and his boyfriend are about to fucking bone. They're in the room right next to mine. This is the fucking worst. They were getting all touchy in the hallway- feels like i need to bleach my entire fucking soul after witnessing it.” He shuddered. “Sorry, it's a fucking mess.”

 

“Mm. Sounds like it. FUCK.” 

 

“...what the fuck?”

 

“Fuck, sorry. M. Jus’ spilled some vodka on my dick.”

 

“What?”

 

“Not my dick but like the crotch-a my pants ya know.”

 

“Vodka?”

 

“Yah.”

 

“But you don't drink.”

 

“Yah. I do right now.”

 

“Why are you drinking?” Karkat sat up, his eyebrows furrowed. 

 

“Mm. Not relly any reason. Roxy said it’d be fun an she was right.” You heard him take a swig of something. “Jus.. didn wanna be sad on Christmas Eve, ya know? I feel pretty good right now.”

 

“Is Roxy still with you?”

 

“Nah, she passed out a while ago. 'm on the roof.”

 

“What? Dave- get off the roof!”

 

“But whyyyy that sounds gay.”

 

“Dave, you're gay. Shut the fuck up. You're drunk, that's not safe. Besides, isn't it cold?”

 

“Ahhhaa. I'm not gay. I'll have you know that after givin’ it much thought, I, am pansexual. Or bi. Sayin’ pan makes me feel like I'm one-a those white people that's like, 'i don't see color bro’ ya know. I don't see gender, bro. But like, i do. And they're all pretty good. But like, pan feels right.”

 

“Dave. I'm glad you're figuring out your sexuality but-”

 

“ALSO,” Dave cut Karkat off. “I'm NOT cold. Wanna know why?”

 

“Why?”

 

“'m wearin’ Roxy’s scarf. An’ a sweater. It's your sweater actually. The maroon one with tha black swirlies. I snatched it because it's super cozy.”

 

“So that's where that went…” he sighed. “You can keep it.”

 

“Yah I was gonna anyways.”

 

“Please go inside.”

 

“Finnnneee.” Dave huffed and staggered his way back into his room through the window, cursing quietly into the phone and making Karkat smile. “Karkat you're pretty ripped.”

 

“Am I?”

 

“Yea man, like I'm taller than you but you've defs got more muscle. I've been thinking about it. Think I've lost some muscle mass since i came to school here.” Karkat could hear as Dave laid down in his bed. “So your brother's gettin’ boned right now?”

 

“Probably. I'm trying not to think about it.” He shuddered. “So gross.”

 

“Man… i wanna get laid. I'm so horny.” 

 

“What the fuck.” His face went red. 

 

“Like, in general. Not right now. I just really want some dick in my life. Like soon.” Karkat tried to keep his thoughts PG. He tried really hard.

 

“Yeah. I feel that.”

 

Dave sighed softly. “This is unrelated and not very sexy. Should i say it?”

 

“Sure. We can have sexy talk some other time man.”

 

“Well, when Dirk and i were younger we didn't really do Christmas… but whenever we first moved in with just my dad and I still believed in Santa, he did the whole cookies thing for me and left me a card from santa with like, ten bucks in it. It said some shit like, 'santa was very busy this year and ran out of time. But ask your brother to take you out so you can spend it however you want, merry Christmas.’ and like. I dunno- sorry. It's dumb. I've just been thinkin about it becuz its not like he could've asked Bro for that money and like. He was a kid too so its…” he stopped himself. “Yeah. It was sweet. Bro told me the truth next Christmas. But it was a good thing while it lasted.”

 

“Yeah.. I'm sorry Dave.”

 

“Don't be. 's all good. Just miss him. But it's fine.” 

 

Karkat didn't know what to say, they sat in quiet for a minute. “Hey, Dave?”

 

“Yah?”

 

“You should really go to sleep.”

 

“Yea, you're right.”

 

“Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight Karkat. I love you.”

  
“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coffee and TV isn't super relevant to the chapter but I've just been listening to a lot of Blur recently so I put it in there anyways.
> 
> Also, I can't decide what I want to do for the next chapter. Either them reuniting after Christmas, or a little chapter about Karkat's family on Christmas day. Tell me what you guys would prefer!


	4. Satellite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas, finally from Dave's perspective of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title comes from Satellite by STRFKR
> 
>  
> 
> The album Dave listens to at the end is totally Being No One, Going Nowhere bc I'm not creative enough to think of more than one band!!!

The light outside Dave’s window was blinding, reflecting off of white snowflakes that were falling,and shining right into his goddamn eyes. It was Christmas. Damn.

He pulled himself out of bed and trudged across the room, he squinted and peered out the window. There was a very thin layer of white covering the grass and the trees. Despite how groggy and disgusting he felt, a twinge of excitement ran through him at the prospect of snow angels and beating the shit out of his sisters in a snowball fight. He’d never seen snow in Texas, and he had a shit ton of childhood to make up for. He just needed some coffee, two advil, and about ten gingerbread cookies.

He closed the blinds for now though. 

He put on his cleanest pair of jeans and a pair of thick socks. He didn’t take off Karkat’s sweater though, he’d only been wearing it for like, two days straight.  
Once he’d located his aviators he made his way downstairs. Mom and Rose were both in the kitchen, and Dave grinned at the sight of their Christmas garb. Mom looked like a young miss claus in her red and white get-up, topped with a santa hat, and Rose was looking the most festive and least goth you’d ever seen her. Black’s and purples traded out for maroon and white. 

His twin caught his eye and smiled. “Aha. There he is.” She picked a santa hat off the counter and threw it to him. “Merry Christmas.”

“Oh jeez. Don’t you just look downright festive.” He put the hat on compliantly, and his mother rushed over to hug him. 

“Oh- merry Christmas sweetheart!” Dave was smooshed against her, he hugged back somewhat awkwardly. 

“Merry Christmas, Mom.” 

“I’m making breakfast right now- you like pancakes right?”

 

“Of course. Thanks.” He smiled at her and accepted the messy kiss to his forehead. “Where’s Roxy?”

“Still asleep.” Rose answered. “You ought to wake her.”

“Lemme get some coffee first.” He poured himself come coffee into one of the comically large Christmas mugs his mother kept around. He filled it about halfway up with coffee, put two spoonfulls of sugar in, and filled the rest with milk. He did the same for Roxy, before heading upstairs to her room. 

He opened the door. The inside of her room hadn’t changed since she’d gone away to college. The walls were still baby pink, with pictures of cats posted up, and pictures of her friends, along with a One Direction poster or two. God, Dave was glad he’d missed that phase of her life.

He set their coffee down on her dresser and looked around at all the pictures. Goofy ones of her, Jane and Calliope at their senior prom, her and Jane and Jake on school trips together, older ones of her as a kid with Rose, and an even older one of her hugging a young Dirk. You didn’t dwell on them for too long. You couldn’t let yourself do that. 

Dave turned to the sleeping form of his big sister. He cleared his throat and stepped up onto her hot pink bed, nudging her with his foot. No response. “Roxy.”

Nothing. 

“Hey.”

“...”

“Harry Styles is ugly.”

“...”

He sighed, jumping once, then again, higher and more frantically. “Roxy Roxy Roxy Roxy ROXY!” He grabbed one of her pillows, throwing it down harshly at her. “It’s fucking Christmas- it’s time to get your fat ass up!” 

She groaned, throwing the pillow back at him. “Jesus Dave- yea. Yeah- I GET IT.” She sat up, glaring at him as he assaulted her again with the pillow. She grabbed onto his leg, pulling him down. 

He fell onto his back with an “oof!” and barely had time to react before she had a pillow forced over his face. 

Roxy laughed victoriously as she smothered her younger brother, but it was short lived. Dave soon overpowered her, wrapping his arms around her tightly, rising up, and dropping her hard onto the floor. “FUCK!”

He laughed at her, finding his lost shades and putting them back on. “It’s Christmas, bitch. Come on.”

“Ughh. Do you gotta be so harsh about it? Damn.” She groaned, but she was smiling too big for Dave to actually think she was mad. 

“Hell yeah I do. Mom’s making pancakes and you know she won’t let me eat until everyone is together.”

“Yeah yeah. That’s fair.” She stood up and stretched. “Shit- did you make me coffee?”

“Mhm.” He picked his up off the dresser and took a sip as she picked up hers. Her eyeliner from the previous day was still on, though heavily smudged. She smiled a toothy smile at him.

“Thanks Davie. I guess you’re not too bad.” She took a long sip of her coffee. “M, how’re yur ears?”

She was referring to his new piercings, two holes in each ear. She’d done them for him two days prior. “They’re doing great. A lil bit sore, but they look cool as fuck.”

“Yeah, they do.” She smiled. “Thanks for letting me practice on you.” 

“No problem. Karkat is gonna get a kick out of em.” 

“Oo. So when is your boy-toy coming back anyways?” Roxy teased him as they both walked down to the kitchen. 

“My ‘boy-toy’ would kick your ass if he heard you call him that. We’re not dating… But, anyways, he said he was going to try and come home a few days early and stay here.”

“Sure, sure. You’re not dating. You guys just like to stare lovingly at each other and snuggle, right?”

“Yeah man. Purely platonic shit right there.” 

She snorted. Their mother had already set the table up with pancakes, eggs, and bacon for each of them. Her and Rose were both waiting patiently. Roxy hugged them both, and they sat at their respective spots. 

 

It was a casual meal, not eventful, and not unpleasant either. Dave and Roxy joked, earning snorts of laughter from their mother and small smiles from Rose. Dave felt calm and happy today.

After eating, they did the whole Christmas spiel of opening presents. Dave got a pair of hot pink briefs from Roxy that said “sassy” across the ass, a Backstreet Boys album, and a promise that this summer she was going to dye his hair pink too. Rose had made him wonderfully cozy sweater, which he traded Karkat’s out for right then and there. His mother had gotten him a fresh pair of black converse and some clothes he’d been “subtly” looking at online. 

All and all it was a good haul, and soon he and his sisters were off getting ready to go play in the snow. He was so excited. He felt like a little kid, pulling on his boots and layering on his jacket. He even put on one of those dumb pom-pom hats just to fit the aesthetic. 

He ran outside and nearly busted his ass on the icy steps. He grinned as he stepped through the snow and once he found a satisfactory spot he threw himself onto his back, making a shitty snow angel. 

The snow wasn't deep enough to do much in, but fuck, just rolling in it was fun. 

Roxy and Rose both came out. He heard Roxy squeal excitedly. He stared up at the sky but was interrupted by a torrent of white crashing down on his face, the culprit being a pair of pink gloves. 

He squawked and bolted up. To his surprise, standing in front of and cackling was Rose. He grinned. It was very rarely that she lightened up. He did his best to make a snowball and threw it hard in her direction, just barely missing as one hit him from behind. They had the upper hand. 

They chased each other around the yard for a good fifteen or so minutes before their mother opened the front door, her face contorted unhappily.

“Dave! Sweetheart- could you come inside?” 

Dave stopped what he was doing, rosy cheeked from the cold and breathing hard. “Uh. Yeah. Sure.” He kicked the snow off his boots before walking inside, removing his gloves. “What's up?’

“I know you won't be happy about this… i. I wasn't expecting it. Its uhm..”  
She wasn't looking at him. The phone was off the wall and sitting face down on the counter. “Your father is on the phone. He wants to talk to you.”

Dave's face paled. “Oh. Okay.”

“Do you want to talk to him?”

Dave's heart was beating rapidly. He felt lightheaded and sick. “No. I don't.” 

“You don't have to but- isn't there anything you want to say to him?’

Let's see. “I fucking hate you.” “I want you dead.” and “I want my brother back.” were all things that came to mind. 

“No. I don't want to talk to him. Just tell him… tell him I said to fuck off.” He took off his hat and threw it down against the counter, storming off to his room. 

He was freaking the fuck out. Why now??? His Bro hadn't tried to talk to him all this time. Why would he? Dave wanted to throw up. His clothes seemed to be suffocating him, so he took everything off except for his boxers. He paced around his room, not even aware he was doing it. He chewed at his cuticles until they bled. Fuck. Fuck this. He didn't want to feel like this. He was so sick of being upset over this fucker. He was so sick of it. 

He willed himself to take a shower, hoping the warm water would calm him down. He locked the bathroom door and ran the shower. He didn't get in immediately, instead looking at himself in the mirror.

He tried to be aware of himself. He tried to remember that he was here now, with his family and not in fucking Houston. He was here now and he was safe. He was here now, and everything would be okay. 

When he finally got in he let the water run over his shoulders and his fair blonde hair. He kept his eyes shut, trying not to look at himself and all of his scars and be reminded of the past. He washed his hair with Roxy's sweet smelling, fruity shampoo and conditioner with hopes that it would bring him back. 

When he got out and dressed himself again, he put Karkat's sweater back on. He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at his phone. He contemplated calling Karkat, but he knew the other boy would be busy. So instead he sat alone in silence. 

 

He doesn’t know at what time he fell asleep, but he woke up at two in the morning, tucked into bed with a plate of cookies on his night stand and a cup of cold hot chocolate. 

His stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten dinner. Fuck, he felt awful for missing Christmas dinner. His mom always spent hours cooking, and had promised to make one of those sweet apple pies with the cinnamon crumbles on top, just for him. He was such an asshole. 

Dave sighed, taking a long gulp of cocoa and inhaling a couple of cookies. He checked his phone. Missed call from Karkat, three texts from him, two Snapchats, and probably some memes in Instagram. Aside from the memes, something must've been up. 

A snap of Karkat in the dark, the camera was held down by his stomach and the flash was shining right up his nostrils and double chin that the angle gave him. “CHECK YOUR TEXTS GAYLORD.” The next was pretty much the same thing, but the caption had changed. “I showed u my dick pls answer me.” Dave smiled and screenshotted it. One for the archives. 

He did finally check his texts. No dick pics. Dammit. 

“Hey dad said that if i can get a ride from my brother and his bf i can come come back to campus in the next couple of days

I can definitely convince Kankri. 

Is that okay with you??”

He grinned, texting back immediately. “sorry fell asleep

yes

fuck yes

you don't even have to ask wtf

get your ass over here you sweet hunk of man

im waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is still a lil angsty, but a tad more light-hearted. I really wanted to write Dave and Roxy interacting and wasn't looking forward to dealing with the family situation I gave Karkat, so this seemed like a better route. Hopefully there'll be some more fluff and gay stuff in the next chapter.
> 
> Also,,,, I'm sorry for all these bad memes. But i promise there will be more.


	5. UPDATE

I'm sorry I've gone a while without updating. Since school has started I don't have time- and plus I'm a bit short on idea's for this fic. I have started the next chapter. If I ever get around to finishing it, i might just call it the end. Because, truthfully, there's no plot to this. I just really needed to get these little things out of my head and onto paper. I have some ideas for other things I'd like to write, so if you've enjoyed this, look out for upcoming fics. 

 

Thank you!!!


End file.
